Ant and Dec have been named the UK's favourite work couple.

Ant and Dec

Ant and Dec

The 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!' hosts - who have worked together since meeting on TV show 'Byker Grove' in 1988 - have topped a new survey with 31 per cent of the vote, beating out 'This Morning' co-hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby into second place, and comedy duo and former 'Great British Bake Off' presenters Mel and Sue into third.

Frequent movie collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost made it into fourth place, while veteran actors Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen rounded out the top five.

The survey was commissioned by hotel chain Premier Inn and found the nation as a whole now spends more time per year with work colleagues than best friends, parents, siblings and even partners, with two thirds of Brits spending time with their workmates regularly in evenings and weekends.

A quarter have introduced colleagues to their 'real' friends, and 40 per cent had their work pal on the guest list for their wedding.

And there seem to be a number of benefits to having a close work friend, with listening to dating disasters, covering for one another's lateness, and having someone to eat lunch with all ranking highly, as well as having fun on work trips and knowing just how they each prefer a cuppa.

Emily Frank, Premier Inn, said: "We spend more time at work than anywhere else consequently, we know our work colleagues better than almost anyone. When you're with someone for eight hours every day, five days a week, you know the 'real' person. From saying thank you for yet another cuppa before 10am to psyching you up right before your yearly review and nudging you to wake up during that three hour long presentation, we all have that one person in our lives that knows us better than our own family and friends."

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